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A Few Rare
Passages in English
from Sant Garib
Das's Radhsoami
Book Anmol
Vachan
Gharib Das, Anmol Vachan, English Section
(rough English translation made by an
unknown satsangi):
Gharib Das, Anmol Vachan:
20) "Q. How do Omkar, Aum and O-am
differ?
A. "Omkar, Aum and O-am are the three names
of the Forms of Trikuti and Guru-pad."
64)
"Q. Why have the Saints advised the Sumiran
(repetitions) of Five Names, the concentration
on them and hearing their Word-Currents and
what fruits do those reap who practice Sumiran
and concentration by themselves without being
initiated by a Sadguru?
"A. The Destination will not be attained till one
does practice of Sumiran with love and pangs
of separation towards the Sadguru and His
Grace. The Satsangis (disciples of Sadguru) are
aided by the Five Gods in the same manner as
Sadguru does. So long as one is not a student or
a Satsangi of a Saint, but only practices
Sumiran and Bhajan of his own accord, and
enters into all actions as “good actions, thus, if
he has saved himself from evil deeds and
words, he will be entitled to meet a Sadguru
eventually."
257)
"Q. In what respect the Mahatmas refer to
Ram-Nam? A. As Rama’s domain extends till
Sunna of the Tenth Gate, the Ram-nam conveys
the respective notes emerging from different
Forms and which are called Hari Om. But,
according to Sant Mat the three original names
are Niranjan, Om and Raram. The worldly
people offer repetitions of Ram-nam but do not
realise its mystery and neither do they
concentrate on His original name nor His Form
and therefore neither are their eyes opened nor
could they secure the Internal Bliss. Bullah
Saheb says: ’’Keep the mouth closed when the
wind comes from the opposite direction, Catch
hold of Nirgun element by concentration; there
the Light of Nirgun shines as if million suns
have risen on the horizon; Anahad rings
through the limitless Gagan (sky); there my
mind was filled with Bliss; that is what Bullah
is dependent upon and calls on Ram-nam.”
Thus, Ram-nam refers to the Interior Notes."
258)
"Q. What does Yaheguru mean?
"A. Having observed worldly people going
astray, Guru Nanak Saheb, with a view to draw
their attention to the inner Forms, described the
importance of Vaheguru and Word. But, so long
as the enlightened Saints remained, this
Internal Path also remained open; but it closed
on their leaving the mortal bodies. Neither one
pays attention to the Five Inner Words as
revealed by Vahegurus nor have they any idea
of their Forms."
52)
"Swami Ji Maharaj has ordained that despite
his Soul descended much lower in the
Timirkhand of Mahasunna, no end to it was
found and he did not deem it advisable to go
further below. Then, it rose with the assistance
of his Sadguru to the designations indicated by
them. Here his reference to Sadguru pertains to
Sadguru Tulsi Saheb who had showered upon
him Mercy in the Interior and to Maharaj
Girdhari Das Ji to whose Satsang (divine
contact) Swamiji was devoted for a long time
as he was Gurubhai (brother-in-guru).
’’’Mercy of Sadguru and the contact of a Sadhu
leads back to Home.' Herein also it is indicated
what that designation portrays with reference to
the markings of Maha-sunna."
Hiren Mistry (Radhasoami satsangi): "Yes it
is a great book. My father had given me.
Revealed many truth and cleared many
doubts of mine."
A Book of Questions and Answers called,
"Anmol Vachan", by Sant Garibdas Saheb
(Anmol Bachan)
Sections translated by Hiren Mistry, a
Satsangi:
"Swami Garibdas ji (Delhi) short life
summary:
Birth date as per Hindu calendar is 3rd day of
Sudh period of the Vaishakh month in year
1900 (Samvant year not A.C.)
Place of birth - Patiyala.
Family — in khatri cast.
Birth name was Narayan das.
At the age of 9 year left home and
accompanied with Siddh Yogishwar for 7 years
in the cave of Markand Hill in Kashmir, and
practiced inner journey till Trikuti Dasam
dwaar (10th Gate).
After that in 1931 He came to Swami Shiv
Dayal Singh and reached till Satlok and Anami
lok.
Stayed in Hathras and Delhi and did discourses
for around 38 years and initiated around 5000
people. Then left the body on 9th day of Vad
period of Kartik month in 1974 [Samvant year
not A.C.]."
From section 52, Hiren Mistry translation:
"Swami ji Maharaj explained that his surat
(soul) has got down in Maha Sunn in Timir
Khand and he couldn't get the end, then did not
find it worth to go further down. Then Swami ji
Maharaj came up the support of the signs told
by Guru. Here Guru is referred to Sadguru
Tulsi Saheb, whose grace was there inside.
Swami ji Maharaj did satsang of Maharaj
Giridhar Das ji who was Swami ji's Gurubhai
(disciple of Tulsi Saheb). 'Sadguru daya saadh
ki Sangat, ulat chalo ghar paai' — Swami ji
Maharaj here also in the above statement the
same point is emphasised. And it is about the
signs of the Maha Sunn."
Shweta Sharma version of the hymn:
"The Word is Soami and Surat is Radha, and
this dhar of surat that turns back and merges
into the Shabd (Word) sings ‘Radhasoami’.
When you sing the name ‘Radhasoami’, you do
the sumiran of the ‘Five Names’. [The Five
alludes to the mystery of the Five Words,
Names or Shabds (Niranjan; OM; Rarankar;
Sohang; and Sattnaam pertaining to Sahasdal
Kanwal, Trikuti, Sunn, Bhanwar Gupha and
Sattlok) and the figure Ten refers to the ten
stations (starting from Sahasdal Kanwal
through Trikuti, Sunn, Mahasunn, Bhanwar
Gupha, Sattlok, Anami, Alakh, and Agam to
Radhasoami. MG Gupta translation, Sar
Bachan Poetry, Vol.l].
"Listening to the melodies of the different inner
spheres is equivalent to listening to the
Radhasoami Name. It is not necessary that one
listens to the melodies of each inner region.
Therefore we have hinted at one Name, i.e.
Radhasoami. The several mysteries of the inner
regions are not to be revealed in their entirety.
Therefore the Word ‘Radhasoami’ has been
used to signal the untold mysteries of the inner
world. Soamiji says
“Karoon kya khol Radhasoami, Radhasoami
veh samjh parmani” — How shall I open up the
mystery of the Name ‘Radhasoami’? O Seeker!
Understand it by the signal given by Him with
a wink (MG Gupta translation, Sar Bachan
Poetry, Vol. 1).
"Soamiji in his Discourses has said that his
surat descended into the dark regions of Maha-
sunn but could neither locate the bottom or the
end of it nor did it feel it worthwhile to go
down any further. Thereafter, his surat adhering
to the signs as revealed to him by his gurus
ascended upwards. Here Soamiji says that it
was the inner mercy of his Satguru Tulsi Saheb
and that of Maharaj Girdhari Dasji whose
Satsang he attended for a very long period of
time. He was his Guru bhai. “Satguru daya
sadh ki sangat, ulat chalo ghar paai” — By the
grace of the Satguru, and under the impact of
your companionship of Sadhus (purified
spirits), get back home (i.e. Sattlok). (MG
Gupta translation, ibid., Discourse XIV, Hymns
3 & 4)
"[It is through the grace (and mercy) of the
Satguru that we get the company of the Saadh,
the one who has practiced the art of meditation
because in the sangat or company of the Saadh,
our Surat will return to and find its Original
Abode (ghar)." (Shweta Sharma version of the
hymn)]
"In these lines also the same thing has been
hinted at and the signs referred to earlier are
related to the signs of Maha-sunn.
"In Ratnagar Samvaad, the disciple is related to
the darkness and ignorance prevailing in the
world. Gum Gyan therefore calls those who
have attained to the region of the ‘Thousand-
Petalled Lotus’ (Sahasdal Kanwal) as Siddh
Yogis and those who have attained to the
‘Region of Three Prominences’ (Trikuti) as Sai.
The titles ‘Yogeshwar’ and ‘Guru’ are given to
those who have attained the Guru pad (status)."
References to Soamiji's Association With
Girdhari Das Ji, A Successor of Sant Tulsi
Sahib Treated as a Master by Soamiji
"Both the female disciples of Girdhari Das Ji
came running to Soamiji Maharaj and
requested him to save HIS GURU!"
(Biography of Babuji Maharaj, page 376)
"Having sojourned there [Daswan Dwar] and
having enjoyed the glory thereof for a very
long time, the spirit of this faqir [Shiva Dayal
himself] proceeded on in accordance with the
instructions of the Guides * (Mursheeds)."
(Hidayatnama. Sar Bachan, Bachan 21.)
"...and then following the instructions from my
Masters..." (another translation of the Sar
Bachan from Agra)
"For a long time the spirit of this faqir (i.e.
Soamiji Maharaj Himself) sauntered and stayed
there and then under instructions from the
teachers and guides, moved ahead." (Soami Ji,
Sar Bachan Poetry, Hidayatnama, M.G. Gupta
translation, The Quintessential Discourse
Radhasoami, Agra)
vU v|> yl> VU «JG v|> vG» vG <G \G vG vG vG vG vL> vG vG vG vG vG \G vG vG vG vG yG vG vG <G vG vG »G vG
Versions of section 52 referring to Girdhari:
MY VERSION:
"Swami Ji Maharaj explained that his Surat
(Soul) had descended lower into Maha Sunn in
Timir Khand and he couldn't reach the bottom,
so did not find it worthwhile to try and go
further down. Swami Ji Maharaj's Surat (Soul)
then began to ascend with the support and
guidance given by his Satgurus. The Satgurus
referred to here are Satguru Tulsi Saheb, whose
grace was there with him inside, and Maharaj
Girdhari Das Ji, who Swami Ji Maharaj
associated with, and was Swami Ji's Gurubhai
(also disciple of Tulsi Saheb). "Satguru daya
saadh ki Sangat, ulat chalo ghar paai" ("It is
through the grace [and mercy] of the Satguru
that we get the company of the Saadh, the one
who has practiced the art of meditation because
in the sangat or company of the Saadh, our
Surat will return to and find its Original Abode
[ghar].") 'Swami Ji Maharaj here [in this verse]
also emphasized it is about the signs [stages] of
Maha Sunn [the Great Void].'"
— Sant Gharib Das, Anmol Bachan
Shweta Sharma Translation:
"Soamiji in his Discourses has said that his
surat descended into the dark regions of Maha-
sunn but could neither locate the bottom or the
end of it nor did it feel it worthwhile to go
down any further. Thereafter, his surat adhering
to the signs as revealed to him by his Gurus
ascended upwards. Here Soamiji says that it
was the inner mercy of his Satguru Tulsi Saheb
and that of Maharaj Girdhari Das Ji whose
Satsang he attended for a very long period of
time. He was his Guru bhai."
“Satguru daya sadh ki sangat, ulat chalo ghar
paai”
"By the grace of the Satguru, and under the
impact of your companionship of sadhus
(purified spirits), get back home (i.e. Sattlok)."
(M.G. Gupta translation, ibid., Discourse XIY,
Hymns 3 & 4)
"[It is through the grace (and mercy) of the
Satguru that we get the company of the Saadh,
the one who has practiced the art of meditation
because in the sangat or company of the Saadh,
our Surat will return to and find its Original
Abode (ghar)." (Shweta Sharma version of the
hymn)]
y|> yl> sl> vL* vl> vL* vl» vU sl> vJ> «J> yl> sj> y]> sl> yl> sl> yl> sl> yj> y]> vl>
Anonymous satsangi rough translation:
"Swami Ji Maharaj has ordained that despite
his Soul descended much lower in the
Timirkhand of Maha-sunna, no end to it was
found and he did not deem it advisable to go
further below. Then, it rose with the assistance
of his Sadguru to the designations indicated by
them. Here his reference to Sadguru pertains to
Sadguru Tulsi Saheb who had showered upon
him Mercy in the Interior and to Maharaj
Girdhari Das Ji to whose Satsang (divine
contact) Swamiji was devoted for a long time
as he was Gurubhai (brother-in-guru). 'Mercy
of Sadguru and the contact of a Sadhu leads
back to Home.' Herein also it is indicated what
that designation portrays with reference to the
markings of Maha-sunna."
— Gharib Das (Sarai Rohilla, Delhi group)
Serai Rohilla Delhi
From: Maharaj Girdhari Sahib — The
‘Unknown Guru’ of Radhasoami History: A
Spiritual Successor of Sant Tulsi Sahib, and
Another Guru of Soami Ji Maharaj, by
James Bean
Swami Ji Maharaj—Saving the Best For
Last, Now, Let’s Travel A Bit Further Back
in Time
In the Sar Bachan Radhasoami Poetry (Sar
Bachan Radhasoami Nazm yaani Chhand
bandh) of Soami Ji Maharaj is a very important
lengthy section, Bachan/Discourse 21, a kind of
“book within the book” called Hidayat Namah
(Esoteric Instructions), going into detail about
the soul travel or heavenly ascents of Soami Ji
Maharaj. It represents the heart of this essential
holy book of the Radhasoami Faith. Here
Soami Ji provides the following description (7-
8 ):
“Beyond this, there are innumerable palaces
made of crystal (sheesh mehal) and diverse
spirits inhabit them and are settled there in
accordance with the allotments made by the
Lord, and they see the peculiar mutual display
which is so blissful, and in turn they also
establish their own plays and sports. In Hindi,
these spirits are described as ‘circles of hamsas’
(purified spirits). The engravings and the
designs carved in these spheres are to be seen
in order to be believed. The entire dispensation
and workshop there is purely spiritual; it is not
at all gross or material.
“Spirits dwelling there are characterized by
excessive delicacy, subtlety, refinedness and
purity; they don’t have a trace of physical
coarseness (kasaafat) and impurity. The details
of this sphere are known only to the faqirs. To
unfold more about it is not proper and
advisable. For a long time the spirit of this faqir
(i.e. Soamiji Maharaj Himself) sauntered and
stayed there and then under instructions from
the Teachers and Guides, moved ahead.
8. “Moving on and on, the spirit soared up
about 5 arab (1 arab = 1 billion) and 75 crores
(1 crore = 10 mi llion) jojans (really
incalculable height) and broke into the realm of
Hahoot or Mahasunn (in Sar Bachan, Prose,
Part I, para 13, the word Hahoot is used for
Sunn, and not Maha-sunn) and sauntered
around it. How shall I describe it? For ten
billion miles (again, incalculable distance)
there is utter darkness. How shall I describe its
depth, except to say that for one kharab (1
kharab = 100 billion, i.e. incalculable extent)
jojans, the soul descended and yet its bottom
could not be discovered; then again it reversed
and turned upward, and following the track
pointed by the sages, the spirit treaded that path
and then it was deemed improper to determine
and find out the depth of this dark region.
“The surat then moved on..
(“The Quintessential Discourse Radhasoami”
(Sar Bachan Radhasoami, Poetry), Volume I,
Translation by M. G. Gupta, M.A., D.Litt.
Former Member of the Faculty of Political
Science, Allahabad University, MG Publishers,
and Huma Books, Agra)
Take note of this particular sentence above by
Soami Ji: “For a long time the spirit of this
faqir (i.e. Soamiji Maharaj Himself) sauntered
and stayed there and then under instructions
from the Teachers and Guides, moved ahead.”
In the Sar Bachan words like ‘Murshida’ and
‘Guru’ are translated as “Master”, “Guide”, or
“Teacher”, but here we have Teachers,
Guides.... in other words, a plural form of
Murshida/Mursheed/Guru—not just one
Teacher or one Guide: “Having sojourned there
and having enjoyed the glory thereof for a very
long time, the spirit of this Faqir moved on, in
accordance with the instructions of the
Guides.” In a plural form is how it’s also
rendered according to another translation by
S.D. Maheshwari, “Sar Bachan Radhasoami
Poetry”, Part 1, Agra.
Sant Gharib Das, Another Close Disciple in
the Inner Circle of Soami Ji—The Book of
“Anmol Bachan” (Sometimes Spelled
“Vachan”)
Sant Gharib Das commented on the above
verses of Soami Ji’s Sar Bachan Poetry and
provides us with more evidence about Girdhari
Sahib, settling the matter once-and-for-all.
“Soamiji in his Discourses has said that his
surat descended into the dark regions of Maha-
sunn but could neither locate the bottom or the
end of it nor did it feel it worthwhile to go
down any further. Thereafter, his surat adhering
to the signs as revealed to him by his Gurus
ascended upwards. Here Soamiji says that it
was the inner Mercy of his Satguru Tulsi Saheb
and that of Maharaj Girdhari Das Ji whose
Satsang he attended for a very long period of
time.”
Both Sant Tulsi Sahib and “Maharaj” Girdhari
Sahib were Gurus of Soami Ji Maharaj. Both
provided Soami Ji with inner Grace, helping to
guide him during his inward j ourney, as
described in the passages above. He was a
disciple of them both, on good terms with them
both right up till the end of their lives, by all
accounts.
I now have three different translations of this
key definitive paragraph above from Gharib
Das. I wanted to make sure the word “Gurus”
(plural) is really there in the original and is a
solid translation.
Actually the paragraph above from Gharib Das,
plus the two translations into English of the Sar
Bachan verses of Soami Ji all come from
sources in Agra that do not have a personal
view of history and theology suggesting to
them anything about Soami Ji having one Guru,
much less two Gurus, yet, to their credit, that’s
how all three chose to translate those passages.
“Anmon Bachan” is a book of questions and
answers by Sant Garib Das Saheb, close
disciple of Soami Ji Maharaj/Shiv Dayal Singh,
and eventual founder of the Radhaswami
Spiritual Science, Radhasoami Satsang, Sarai
Rohilla, Delhi. This old out-of-print book,
passed on from one generation to the next, has
traveled quite far to reach me. Just to know
about the existence of this book, locate
someone with a copy, see some pages from it,
and then getting some translations made from
Gujarati into English, and Hindi into English, is
no easy task, beating some ridiculous odds. For
this I am grateful to those involved.
This is from the book—a very rough
translation of this part for now:
“Brief Life Summary:
"Birth date as per Hindu calendar is the third
day of Sudh period of the Vaishakh month in
the year 1900 (Samvant year, not Western
calendar),[1846 AD];
Place of birth: Patiala
Family: in khatri caste.
Birth name: Narayan Das.
At the age of nine he left home accompanied
by a Siddha Yogishwara for seven years, spent
time in the cave at Markand Hill in Kashmir;
practiced the inward journey and reached
Trikuti, Dasam Dwaar (the Tenth Gate).
After that in 1931 [AD 1874] he came to
Swami Shiv Dayal Singh and reached Sat Lok
and Anami Lok.
He stayed in Hathras and Delhi, did discourses
[spread the teachings] for around thirty eight
years and initiated around 5,000 people. Then
he left the body on the ninth day of Yad period
of Kartik month in 1974 [1918 AD].”
It says Gharib Das spent some time in Hathras.
Makes sense he would be less susceptible to
denying (or spinning/minimizing) the
connection between Sant Tulsi Sahib, Maharaj
Girdhari Das and Soami Ji given his
association with Soami Ji and apparent
knowledge of the Tulsi Sahib community.
As an independent witness representing another
distinct branch of Radhasoami and a early
disciple of Shiv Dayal Singh, Gharib Das of the
Radhasoami Satsang, Sarai Rohilla, is a
priceless resource for helping to clarify many
issues about early Radhasoami history.
Hopefully the whole book can be translated and
published. I suspect if it is, it will help promote
reconciliation and harmony between different
branches of the Radhasoami Faith, between
those who follow Panch Naam and those who
follow Simran of Radhasoami.
Quick Observation: The passages from
Gharib Das and successors (also see, “The Way
Out Is IN”, by Swami Ram Behari Lai,
Radhaswami Satsang, Sarai Rohilla) so far
don’t lend support to the belief that Sar Bachan
Poetry is mostly a redacted work of Saligram,
which is a theory put forward by some. Gharib
Das seems to have been reading the same
familiar Sar Bachan Poetry, including the
teaching about Radhasoami Naam. He said,
“The Word is Soami and Surat is Radha, and
this dhar of surat that turns back and merges
into the Shabd (Word) sings ‘Radhasoami’.
When you sing the name ‘Radhasoami’, you do
the sumiran of the ‘Five Names’.” (“Anmol
Bachan”) ////////
